CHICAGO (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched six shutout innings of four-hit ball and the New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Tuesday night for their fifth victory in six games.
Anthony Volpe hit an RBI double in the second and scored on Max Schuemann's two-run double as the Yankees (61-46) moved within 1 1/2 games of AL East-leading Tampa Bay. Jasson Domínguez had two hits and reached base three times.
Chase Meidroth hit a two-run homer off New
York closer David Bednar with two outs in the ninth. Bednar then struck out ex-Yankee Everson Pereira for his 22nd save.
The White Sox have lost four of five, including two consecutive games to New York. Chicago's lead over second-place Cleveland in the tight AL Central slipped to 1 1/2 games.
Cole (4-5) was dominant in his 12th start since coming back May 22 from Tommy John surgery. The six-time All-Star right-hander struck out seven and walked two.
The White Sox threatened Cole only in the fourth, when Munetaka Murakami doubled and Cole issued two walks to load the bases before Tristan Peters popped out to end the inning.
Anthony Kay (7-5) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out seven.
In the second, Volpe’s run-scoring double went off Peters’ glove as the center fielder jumped high at the wall. Schuemann knocked in two more runs when he bounced a grounder high over third base.
Cole helped himself by making a circus catch on Colson Montgomery’s high popup for the first out of the second inning.
Yankees infielders Amed Rosario and Volpe raced in for the ball. New York catcher Austin Wells came out and bumped into Cole, but the right-hander fully extended his left hand and snared the popup with his glove in front of the mound. Cole stumbled and the ball flipped up in the air, but he caught it with his bare hand.
Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.07 ERA) faces White Sox RHP Davis Martin (9-5, 3.49) on Wednesday.
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